Draft preventer



Sept. 8, 1936. Q JOHNSON I I 2,053,793

DRAFT PREVENTER Filed July 25, 19:55

Patented Sept. 8, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICES 1 Claim.

This invention relates to a means attachable to a door in order to overcome drafts, particularly at the floor to overcome a source of many colds and sickness.

It is aimed to provide a novel, simple, inexpensive and durable construction which may be readily applied even by a novice, to attain the end desired.

It is especially aimed to provide such a construction in which the attachment becomes operative when in or close to closed position, being retracted in open position so as not to drag and cause wear on the carpet.

It is further aimed to provide a construction which may be readily rendered inoperative as during the summer months.

The more specific objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the description following taken in connection with accompanying drawing illustrating an operative embodiment.

In said drawing:

Figure 1 is a. fragmentary front elevation of a door and easing equipped with my invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view substantially similar to Figure 2 but showing the door partly open;

D Figure 4 is a horizontal section taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1 Figure 5 is a horizontal section taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a vertical section taken on the line 66 of Figure 1, and

Figure 7 is a vertical section taken on the line 1-1 of Figure 6.

Referring specifically to the drawing wherein like reference characters designate like or similar parts, l0 designates a conventional door frame of a dwelling or other building in which a door II is hinged as usual to swing on a vertical axis at l2. Said frame ID has a threshold at l3.

To eliminate the entrance of air and causing of drafts beneath the door H an attaching plate 14 preferably of a suitable metal, is secured to the lower edge of the door as at l5, preferably occupying a cut away portion or recess l6 thereof. Said plate or leaf l4 has sleeves at I! which are interfitted with sleeves l8 of a plate or leaf l9. Disposed in the sleeves l1 and I8 is a pintle or rod 20 with which the sleeves l8 of the leaf I9 are rigid. Fastened in any suitable manner to the plate l9, as by a bar 2| and rivet 22, is a weather strip 23 of felt, leather, rubber or other suitable material, which preferably is wider than the plate I9 so that it may intimately engage and press against the upper surface of the threshold as best shown in Figure 2.

At the inner lower corner of the door, the recess or cut away portion I6 is extended into a cut away portion or chamber 24 which is covered by a countersunk plate 25 screwed or otherwise fastened to the door as at 26. The adjacent end of the rod or pintle 20 has a crank 21 thereon which in the retracted position of the device is substantially vertical within the chamber 24.

Said crank at 21 is disposed in a notch or bifurcation 28 of a striker plate 29 pivoted at 30 to the plate 25 and which striker plate is capable of projecting through a slot 3| in said plate 25, to and from the dotted line position shown in Figure 5.

Said rod or pintle 20 has one or more springs 32 coiled about the same and at opposite ends engaging the plates l4 and i9 so as to normally urge retraction elevation of the plate I9 and projection of the striker plate into the dotted line position shown in Figure 5.

As a result of the structure described, it will be realized that the plate IS, in the open position of the door is retracted as best shown in Figure 3 and that the striker plate 29 is projected to the dotted line position as in Figure 5 because of the contractile action of the spring or springs 32.

It is obvious that the plate l9 may be made of any suitable metal like the plate M, for instance, bronze, although no limitation as to material used for any of the parts is to be implied.

Presuming the door to be pushed from open position as in Figure 3 to closed position as in Figure 2, the projected end of the striker plate 29 will abut the interior of the adjacent stile of the door frame it), thus causing the plate to swing and through the interengagement of slot 28 with crank 27 will rotate or rock the rod 20 lowering the plate I9 and accordingly the Weather strip 23 against the threshold, the tighter the door is closed, the more forcible is the engagement of the strip 23 with the threshold.

The striker plate 29 preferably abuts a screw 33 carried by the door frame, and obviously such screw 33 may be adjusted to vary the throw of the crank 21 and parts movable therewith, to take up wear or regulate the degree of engagement of strip 23 with the threshold.

It will be realized that the construction is invisible to a casual observer and that the carpet or floor covering will not be engaged by the strip 23 when the door is in open position.

In the summer months if it is not desired that the device should operate, plate 25 may be removed and a plate without the striker plate 29 attached, may be substituted.

Various changes may be resorted to provided they fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:-

A draft preventing attachment for a door, comprising an attaching leaf, a leaf pivoted to the first-mentioned leaf adapted to close a draft opening, spring means normally urging retraction of the second-mentioned leaf, a rod pivotally connecting the leaves together and rigid with the second-mentioned leaf adapted to be located beneath the door between the planes of the sides of the door, means operable by contact with a door frame to rock said rod to apply the second-mentioned leaf comprising a crank on said rod, a plate for striking engagement with a door frame having a bifurcation interconnected with said crank, a vertical plate attachable to a door, pivot means attaching the striker plate to the last-mentioned plate to swing on a vertical axis, a weather strip carried by the second-mentioned leaf, and the second-mentioned plate having a slot through which the free end of the first-mentioned plate projects.

OLOF JOHNSON. 

